Q1 usually sets the tone for the following months to come. This years Q1 trucking landscape has been turbulent to say the least. We’ve seen mixed performance, while the spot market has experienced increased freight demand and rates, especially in the last couple of weeks.  The industry has also faced challenges from the tariffs and continuous shifts in the market dynamic. Let’s take a look back at the first quarter of 2025 and just how did we do? In this blog, we’re going to share some of PEI’s statistics and break them down. So, first up in our Q1 trucking stats we’ve got…

Total Chargeable Weight Moved In Q1 = 51,498,566 lbs

Chargeable weight is calculated by freight carriers and determines the price you pay to ship your goods. This is worked out using the actual weight (gross weight) of the freight or the volumetric weight (dimensional weight = length x width x height/dimensional weight divisor, provided by the carrier). Our Q1 trucking results show an impressive 51,498,566 pounds in chargeable weight moved by us through January, February and March.

Transporting more than 51 million pounds of cargo is no small feat. To put that into perspective, let’s take a look at exactly just how much weight that really is. 51,498,566 lbs is the equivalent to either :

🐘 4300 x African elephants 

🚚 644 x fully loaded 18-wheelers

🐋 172 x blue whales 

🗽 100 x Statue of Liberty’s

🗼 3 x Eiffel Towers

Managing, handling and delivering freight at this scale requires careful coordination throughout the entire supply chain. We work closely with our shipper to find the best possible solution for their cargo, and execute our plan with the utmost care. This is what keeps our customers coming back, time after time, our service. Our chargeable weight statistic over the past three months is high, simply because people trust us and return with multiple repeat shipments. One other thing to bare in mind is also the kinds of freight we tend to ship. As specialized freight providers, we obviously offer specialized services like Conestogas, Step Decks, RGN’s, etc. the kind of trailers used for large, heavy equipment, hence the high total weight shipped.

So, let’s take a look at perhaps a stat that’s more quantifiable which is…

Number of Shipments In Q1 = 5860

Now, this is a metric that paints a clear picture of our daily operations and that is the number of shipments we made in the first quarter. We successfully and proudly fulfilled 5,860 shipments from short haul, delivering in urban areas, to long haul routes that take us across state lines. Our expert teams have navigated a diverse array of customer requirements already this year (and we’re only 3 months in).

This number of shipments could be compared to:

🇺🇸 Population of many small towns, i.e. Walton, Kentucky

🚚 Making one shipment every hour for 244 days (almost 8 months)

🎶 A full house at Radio City, NY

It’s important to remember that each of these 5860 are all unique shipments, with their own special needs and requirements. Some were urgent shipments, requiring expedited services, after all we are specialists in that field. While others had complex routes and specific handling techniques, perhaps due to their oversized nature. Yet, each one made it successfully to its’ destination with the utmost care, which is what sets us apart from any other logistics company and why our customers love us.

Now, this is all interesting but one more stat that we’ve had a little fun analogizing is…

Total Mileage Travelled In Q1 = 3,634,885

That’s right, 3,634,885 is the total number of miles we travelled on behalf of and with our customers shipments in the first quarter of 2025. The millions of miles covered by us, really highlights the extensive reach of our operations. Though a lot of our work is carried out regionally, this number speaks on the extent that we serve customers across the entirety of the United States. The freight we ship, travels across busy highways, up dirt roads, through unpredictable weather, changing climates and even during natural disasters sometimes in order to successfully complete the delivery.

As a result, we’re able to boast an impressive 3.6 million miles travelled in the first quarter of this year. If you haven’t already learned by now through this blog, we like to make our stats a little more fun, so let’s break down what that is equivalent to:

🌎 146 x travelled around the Earth

🌜 15 x Trips to the Moon

🏖 Nearly 1,300 Coast-to-Coast drives (LA to NYC)

🚚 Almost 7 years driving non-stop at 60 mph

 

Each mile logged here, has not only taken the work of the driver, but also warehouse workers, dispatchers, and meticulous planning from office staff to ensure our shippers freight is safe, on time and each supply chain is as efficient as possible.

Why Do These Numbers Matter?

It’s important for us to track these performance indicators as they are our tangible proof of our performance each quarter. They prove that we can handle large volumes of freight, and meet complex shipping needs across the US. We gain valuable insight by reviewing each of these statistics about how our business is performing and the state of the freight market. With that being said, it’s also fun to share them with you, the shipper. We figured, it’s easy to talk the talk about how great we are and how we can fulfill any requirement, but walking the walk is a whole different story. These stats are our proof that we can do what we say, and by sharing them we share our credibility.

Thank You’s

If you’re a current customer, thank you so much for trusting us as your freight partner, we hope to continue serving you and your business for the rest of the year and far beyond. If you’re a potential partner or simply just interested in the logistics industry then we hope these Q1 trucking stats give you an insight into our world. Each one of the 5860 shipments and every one of the 3,634,885 miles travelled has a story. We sure could share some! And also behind the 51,498,566 lbs of freight is an entire network of drivers, carriers, dispatchers, warehouse staff and back office staff working tirelessly to meet deadlines and exceed your expectations.

We’re super proud of what we’ve achieved in this short space of time (we’re only one quarter in), especially considering the market dynamic we’re facing right now. Although these numbers seem great, they are flatter compared to our previous years Q1 trucking round ups. We’re not sure how the rest of the year will pan out. But all we can do is keep doing what we’re already doing. Keep delivering and blowing our customers socks off with our level of service! We’d also love to take this moment to thank all of our wonderful staff, who we call family, for their input, hard work and dedication. Without you, this would not be possible, so truly thank you!❤️

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At PEI, we’re experts in dealing with specialized freight and can handle yours with any custom requirements.